Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says the Federal Government was focused on
implementation of Niger Delta Masterplan to drive development of the
region.
Mr. Osinbajo stated this at the inaugural meeting of Partners for
Sustainable Development Forum organised by Niger Delta Development
Commission, NDDC, in Port Harcourt on Monday.
He said President Muhammadu Buhari had also expressed concern with the
current degradation of the environment with a view to addressing
challenges faced by the region.
“Niger Delta remains a priority of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC
government with a view to attending to current devastation and
environmental degradation in the region.
“The federal government will give NDDC all necessary assistance and
support to achieve its mandate of ensuring rapid and sustainable
development of the region.
“For meaningful and sustainable development to take place in the region,
citizens and stakeholders must be peaceful while curbing militancy and
eliminating terrorism,” he said.
The vice president, who was represented by the deputy chief of staff in
the presidency, Adeola Ipaye, added that Niger Delta, being the world’s
third largest wetland, had immense potentials to become an agriculture
hub.
He said the nation’s over-dependence on crude oil was partly responsible
for “redundant human resource base and high level of corruption.”
According to him, there has to be a major shift from dependence on oil to
agricultural production which would assist job creation and encourage
development of the manufacturing sector.
The vice president assured that ongoing clean-up of several years of un-
addressed oil pollution in Ogoni area of Rivers and other communities in
the region would be completed.
The managing director of the NDDC, Bassey Dan-Abia, said poor funding was
a major challenge facing the commission.
He explained that the commission was an intervention agency, not an
alternate government, as widely held by some people.
“Youths should reduce the level of restiveness because NDDC does not have
the capacity to solve all their problems.
“Restiveness and tension caused by some youths in the region clearly have
direct negative impact on the development of the region,” he said.
Mr. Dan-Abia called on the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company, NLNG,
to commence payment of its own contribution to funding of the commission.
According to him, this is based on the fact that NLNG falls within the
oil and gas producing companies within the Niger Delta.
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